Panzhihua

This article is about the city in Sichuan. For the township in Yunnan, see Panzhihua Township.

Panzhihua 攀枝花
—  Prefecture-level city  —
攀枝花市
Panzhihua
Location of Panzhihua City jurisdiction (yellow) within Sichuan
Panzhihua Location in Sichuan
Coordinates: 26°35′N 101°43′E / 26.583°N 101.717°E / 26.583; 101.717Coordinates: 26°35′N 101°43′E / 26.583°N 101.717°E / 26.583; 101.717
Country	China
Province	Sichuan
City seat	Dongqu (东区)
Area
– Total	7,440.398 km2 (2,872.8 sq mi)
Elevation	1,157 m (3,796 ft)
Population
– Total	1,100,800
– Density	147.9/km2 (383.2/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code	617000
Area code(s)	0812
Website	http://www.pzhs.gov.cn/

Panzhihua (Chinese: 攀枝花; pinyin: Pānzhīhūa; Wade–Giles: P'an-chih-hua) is a prefecture-level city located in the far south of Sichuan province of Southwest China, on the confluence of the Jinsha and Yalong Rivers. It has an administrative area of 7,440.398 square kilometres (2,872.754 sq mi),^[1] and a total population of 1,100,800 as of 2007.^[2] It is the only city in China having a name of a flower, and its economy relies almost entirely on its giant mine, one of the biggest in China. The latter makes it a very polluted city, where the air condition is quite poor.

Geography and climate

Panzhihua is a treasure of natural resources, but remained a wasteland until 1960. It was founded on a remote headwater of the Yangtze River in 1966 as a steel production center. It grew rapidly as it remained relatively prosperous while the rest of the country was undergoing the Cultural Revolution. The city is home to the Panzhihua Iron and Steel (Group) Co, called "Pangang 攀钢", the leading steel company in southwest China. There remains a remnant population of the ancient cycad forests which were once home to the giant panda.

The area has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), with short, mild (almost warm), very dry winters, and long, hot, and humid summers. Highs drop to 21 °C (70 °F) in December and January, quickly rebounding during the dry springs, and peak in May and June, unlike much of the rest of the province. Much of the annual rainfall occurs from June to September.

Climate data for Panzhihua (1988−2007)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	21.8 (71.2)	24.8 (76.6)	28.6 (83.5)	31.7 (89.1)	32.3 (90.1)	32.2 (90.0)	31.0 (87.8)	30.6 (87.1)	28.1 (82.6)	26.2 (79.2)	23.4 (74.1)	21.0 (69.8)	27.6
Average low °C (°F)	6.9 (44.4)	9.9 (49.8)	14.2 (57.6)	17.7 (63.9)	19.8 (67.6)	21.4 (70.5)	21.3 (70.3)	20.8 (69.4)	18.9 (66.0)	16.2 (61.2)	11.3 (52.3)	7.2 (45.0)	15.5
Rainfall mm (inches)	5.5 (0.217)	3.7 (0.146)	8.2 (0.323)	14.0 (0.551)	57.9 (2.28)	144.0 (5.669)	221.1 (8.705)	188.2 (7.409)	139.2 (5.48)	57.7 (2.272)	16.9 (0.665)	1.9 (0.075)	858.3 (33.791)
Source: 中央气象台

Geology

Panzhihua is close to Xigeda-Yuanmou fracture in the Sichuan-Yunnan border.^[3] Its Renhe District was the epicenter of the 2008 Panzhihua earthquake.

Administrative divisions

Map
#	Name	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2004 est.)	Area (km²)	Density (/km²)
1	Dong District	东区	Dōng Qū	320,000	167	1,916
2	Xi District	西区	Xī Qū	160,000	124	1,290
3	Renhe District	仁和区	Rénhé Qū	200,000	1,727	116
4	Miyi County	米易县	Mǐyì Xiàn	200,000	2,153	93
5	Yanbian County	盐边县	Yánbiān Xiàn	200,000	3,269	61

Transport

Panzhihua is a highly industrialized area, which is dominated by a truly gigantic mining operation. Most of the land not in use for mining is taken up by subsistence farming.

Panzhihua is linked to Chengdu and Kunming by rail.

With Panzhihua Airport, Panzhihua is also linked by Air to Chengdu.

Education

• Panzhihua University
• The city's top high schools are the No.3 Panzhihua high school (located downtown) and the no.7 high school (located in the western district (Qinxiangping))

References

1. ^ "Nature Resources of Panzhihua" (in Chinese). Official website of Panzhihua Government. http://www.pzhs.gov.cn/zjpzh/zrgk/zrzy/index.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-30. 
2. ^ "Demographics of Panzhihua" (in Simplified Chinese). Official website of Panzhihua Government. http://www.pzhs.gov.cn/zjpzh/zrgk/rktj/index.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-30. 
3. ^ "Roughly: Part III of emergency response to the M6.1 earthquake at the border of Renhe-Huili, Sichuan: Seismic formation background. (四川攀枝花市仁和区-凉山州会理县交界6.1级地震现场应急工作系列报道之三地震构造背景)" (in Chinese). China Earthquake Administration, CEA (中国地震局门户网). 2008-09-02. http://www.cea.gov.cn/manage/html/8a8587881632fa5c0116674a018300cf/_content/08_09/02/1220328119176.html. Retrieved 2008-09-07. 

External links

• Official website of Panzhihua Government